Christina has been a dental hygienist for more than three decades. She’s always loved the work. But it wasn’t until she came to Vivent Health that she finally felt at home.
“I worked in private practice the majority of my career, but here I feel like I’m doing something extra,” she says. “I always felt like I was helping people, but I feel like I’m doing a little bit more here.”
That’s because of the patients she works with and the stories they tell her. Stories about being ostracized by their families, or not being treated well by medical professionals, because of their HIV.
“And then they come here and we’re here with open arms,” she says. “I always want patients to know that they’re welcome here, they’re wanted here, and I’m glad they came.”
And Christina wants her patients to know that’s always true. It doesn’t matter if they haven’t been to the dentist in a while. It doesn’t matter if they’re having a bad day.
“No matter what’s going on, I want them to know they’re in the right place, and we’re going to get them on the road to feeling better, looking better, and being happy with their smile,” she says.
And while helping her patients achieve good oral health is Christina’s main duty, it’s not the only way she shows up for her patients. And in fact, some of her most meaningful appointments have been ones where they didn’t treat the patient’s teeth at all.
“Some of our patients have had awful, traumatic events in their lives,” she says. “Sometimes what they need most is a shoulder to cry on and someone to listen. And we’re here for our patients 100%, not just to do cleanings or fillings or what have you. I’ve had appointments where all we did was talk, and then we rescheduled their treatment for another day. And you know what? That was time wisely spent.”
Christina Lindberg has an Associate’s degree in dental hygiene from St. Louis Community College in Forest Park. She has been a dental hygienist for 34+ years.